Galactic Reaches
by lcankri
Summary: Experimenting with a new style, along with providing Team Galactic with some much needed love. Continuation will depend on turn out. If you've ever found yourself wondering how it would be to join Team Galactic, I would probably recommend this to you.
1. 1-First Chapters are the Worst Chapters

You inhaled the fresh air, the briskness of it waking you up a little. You bounced in place as you waited among the crowd of new grunts, most just as anxious as you to formally meet their superiors. Almost everyone was dressed the same, as they all had the same stories for the most part; broke college students, kids who had to help support their families, and a couple of richer kids who abandoned wealth for mental security. You could respect them, just as they could respect you.

As you waited, you counted the pieces of clothing you saw. So far, you had counted seventeen blue hoodies, twelve grey, and two green. At least two thirds of the kids were wearing jeans, the rest had jogging or sweat pants. A guy a couple feet away from you was trying to smell himself discreetly, and ended up punching himself in the face as he put his arms down. You snapped to attention as well, wanting to make a good impression. Somehow, you were still the last, earning a look from a couple people, including an old man by the leader.

The tallest (Cyrus, you assumed) looked over the crowd briefly, and then turned. He marched onwards, followed by the other four on stage. A few whispered uncertainly, until a hand peeked through the door, waving them in. There was a slight pause before anyone moved, then all lurched forward as a unit. No one wanted to be left behind, and some people were actually pushing others out of the way in order to get closer to the front.

As all of the boisterous newbies got their eyeful of the HQ, he examined the crowd a bit more carefully. You accidentally made eye contact, which was a little stressful. Nice going, initiating an impromptu staring contest with your new boss. You're going to do great. After everyone had accustomed themselves to the new setting, the introductions were started. Cyrus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and Charon were their names. You didn't pay very close attention beyond that, as you had already done your research on these people. You had no idea what they looked like before now, though.

After the short speech, you were all divided into five groups. Each went with someone different, you landing in the old man's, who you now knew as Charon. He prattled on about the science division he led, stopping to make the occasional joke or freak someone out. You looked down at your phone for one second to check the time, and next thing you knew, he was giving you a horrified look. A couple of older grunts looked at you with pity, knowing there was nothing that they could do for you now. Pocketing the device just as quickly, you let out a questioning hum.

"Stay away from water tomorrow, something awful is going to happen," he stage whispered.

You could feel everyone staring at you; amazing job, once again. "Why?"

"Something bad is going to happen. That's it. Can't say more." He carried on as if nothing had happened. After half an hour more, ID cards were handed to everyone, along with their uniforms. Uniform bags in one hand and cards in the other, all of you were sent home with the directions to be back at the headquarters tomorrow morning, in your uniform, at nine o' clock sharp.

When you got home, you hung the bag in your closet, and had something quick to eat for dinner. You thought about showering tomorrow, but quickly dismissed it. What if you fell and busted your head open, or something like that? No chances. Even though you preferred to in the morning, you showered, dressed, and went to sleep, ready for tomorrow's full orientation.


	2. 2-Ridiculous Old Man Torments Child

You were up and dressed by six, the warning from yesterday still in the back of your mind. You dragged yourself into the bathroom, jumping as you almost turned on the water. What if it had somehow turned into acid? No, no, that was silly. But, what if you ended up staining your new uniform? You sighed before removing your clothes, leaving you naked in front of your bathroom sink. You brushed your teeth warily. Why was this affecting you so much? Typically, you never cared about this kind of thing, but you couldn't help but worry about it. You decided to try and relax, as those little tasks didn't seem to backfire. After redressing, you headed towards your new place of work. You felt a little self-conscious in these clothes, with the faux-silky fabric slipping around, but you'd manage.

You arrived at about eight fifty five, and surprisingly, there was practically no one else there yet. You recognized a few people from yesterday, considering everyone was yet to receive their hairpiece. There was that one guy who was sniffing himself, a few of the people who were actually dressed nice, and one that was wearing a shirt of a popular children's cartoon earlier. That seemed to be it. More people shuffled in by the minute, tugging at the strange uniform uncertainly.

Soon enough, nine o' clock came around. Then nine fifteen. Then nine thirty. Then nine forty five. A few people had left, but a girl came in with Sawbucks coffee. She seemed content enough, and also decided to show you her cup labeled "Sin Lord." By the time it was ten, nearly half of the room had left. You chatted idly with others, until you were finally greeted by your superiors. You were all given the rundown of things, and provided with a schedule. After apologizing for their lack of punctuality, they explained it was to test who would and wouldn't wait. Those who did were hired, and those who didn't would be expected to turn in their suits. Sin Lord was accepted, since they apparently didn't have anything proving she wasn't there at nine save for witnesses, but snitches get stitches and no one was up for that.

They started everyone off with little jobs, in fact, most were given what would be considered to be chores, including you, receiving the special task of watering the plants; a couple of the people who were in your group yesterday giggled. You didn't doubt that that had been given to you on purpose. However, you were also sure you were just being picked on. You were even given a little hand-drawn map with plant locations marked on it, as well as a pen to mark them off as you go.

You started on your merry little way, sprayduck in hand. You were careful not to disturb its contents. About halfway through your work, you heard beeping, and what sounded like increasing water pressure. You ran out of the room, only seconds from being drenched by sprinklers. A couple of older passers-by congratulated you, but for what? Escaping some sort of malfunction? Just after you had finished and put up the pail, you encountered who you had suspected was behind your near misfortune. He seemed to be in distress though, so you would give him a chance, even though he was a creepy old man and would much prefer to talk to one of the other four, as you hadn't yet gotten the chance. Nevertheless, you approached the man, hoping to help in some way.

"Is there something wrong?"

He didn't hesitate to start. "There's a buizel in the lab, and I lost it. I need you to find it immediately. The lab should be on your map," he explained, and left without giving you time to reject his request. Well, never before had you felt so much regret in trying to help, so that's an experience to put in your book. You trudged back to the lab reluctantly, just knowing you were going to be soaked. This was it.

The lab was a mess, which did not help to appease the pounding in your chest. You stepped around wet papers, making you cringe. There were too many upside down boxes to count, and more lumpy blankets than you would ever expect in this environment. You knew it had to be a set up. You grabbed a nearby yard stick, and started using it to prod at any potential hiding spots, while your other hand carried a butterfree net, graciously provided by another scientist.

As you slinked around, you caught a glimpse of orange. Your breath caught in your throat as you forced yourself to look behind the computer's monitor, eyes meeting with two pale blue buttons. It was a buizel doll. You seized the doll, and fell back into the chair. If this torment was going to follow you through every second of your time here, you would quit as soon as possible.

Letting your previous fear subside, you rubbed the doll absentmindedly. As you regained composure, you lifted yourself from the plastic chair. You checked the time, and then the schedule. It was about fifteen minutes until the lunch break, and it would take you about that time to get there. You set out immediately, and were stopped almost instantly by the very man behind this elaborate joke, Charon.

"Oh, so you found the buizel? Good job, kid." He gave you a loose pat on the back and bumbled off, not even bothering to take the doll back. Did he get these things just to pull jokes on people? You continued to clutch the doll as you made your way up to the cafeteria. You sat down in a far corner without anything to eat, as you hadn't brought any money, which was a little naïve on your part. You toyed with your doll until you were alerted by someone else's presence. It was the sniffy guy. He smiled in a reserved manner, and put his hand up in greeting.

"Hello!" You squeaked, hiding your doll.

"Hey, wait, that was cool. Where did you get it?" He seemed genuinely interested.

"That Charon guy? He keeps picking on me because I checked the time while he was talking, and now I'm on his hit list or something. He's going to end up making a false monsoon or something, I just know it."

He cackled and grinned, not believing how far you believed he would take a joke. "At least you got a memento, either way."

Someone else's tray clattered beside of you. Oh yes, your previous acquaintanceship.

"Sup, Sin Lord?" Beaming, she nodded and gave you a thumbs up. A few more people made their way over to your table, including some older grunts. You all took turns introducing yourselves. There was Todd, which was a major improvement in name from Sniffy, Cinna, who you had honestly wished was legally named Sin Lord, and many others. One of the girls, Jordan, shared her food with you. A guy who called himself Frederick offered you bottled water, which you took only after he had opened it for you and was sure it was safe. You all shared stories and joked around until the break was over, leading you all to disperse lethargically. The rest of your day was relatively uneventful until the end.

"Wait. You mean to tell me they haven't been caught yet?"

"Nope. It's crazy, right? He got me in the first fifteen minutes."

Several older grunts swarmed you, cheering. It was broken up seconds later by none other than Charon. He parted them, easily getting to you. You still held onto the doll, your other arm hanging loosely at your side. You flinched as he splashed a cup of water in your face.

"Welcome to Team Galactic, kid." As soon as the words came from Charon's mouth, cheers erupted from everyone. Even though you were wet, people were still congratulating you in dodging the several attempts tossed at you during the day. Your dampened fringe hung in your eyes and stuck to your face, but you still shouted in triumph along with them. The three administrators and Cyrus came around the corner, and everyone snapped out of celebration. They didn't even glance, and everyone let out a sigh of relief once they had exited.

One of the older grunts spoke out. "Anyways, newbie, you gotta go to the auditorium and get the pièce de résistance," he said, ruffling your still-wet hair. Bidding farewell, you ambled your way there. You were presented with what you were promised: the wig, along with a model head for it to rest on when not in use. On your way home, you picked up something to eat and a teal eyebrow pencil, which they luckily sold. You stashed away your newfound treasures, and slept soundly as rain pounded against your window.


End file.
